Meeting the world's best mummy

By Suzy Austin, Metro

Last updated at 09:03 04 May 2005

With its gold-leaf decoration and vivid paintings, a newly discovered sarcophagus has been hailed as the most beautiful mummy ever unearthed. The unidentified remains, which are male and about 2,300 years old, have a blue head-dress and gold face mask and are covered in pieces of linen or papyrus painted with images of gods, goddesses and scenes of the afterlife. The mummy was found by Egyptian archaeologists as they dug through a 6m (20ft) shaft at the Saqqara necropolis, or cemetery, just south of Cairo. Zahi Hawass, Egypt's chief antiquities expert, said it was the most stunning find in the country's history.

'Artists who made this mummy more than 2,000 years ago demonstrated the brilliance of the ancient Egyptians by using stunning colours and depicting his face so graphically. It is so beautiful', he added.

The mummy was found buried within the necropolis of King Teti, who ruled during Egypt's sixth dynasty 4,300 years ago. Although his identity is still shrouded in mystery, the ancient Egyptian must have been wealthy considering his burial site and fine gold used for the mummy's mask, Mr Hawass believes. Experts will use CT scanning technology to reveal more about the ancient man and how he lived and died, before he is displayed at Saqqara's Museum of Imhotep.